


for the stars are still there even if the sun shines

by kanjogirl



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: F/M, Jealousy, Matchmaking, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-09
Updated: 2013-10-09
Packaged: 2017-12-28 23:16:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/998081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanjogirl/pseuds/kanjogirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This bond they have will always remain, even if they can’t see it all the time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	for the stars are still there even if the sun shines

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a prompt @ livejournal. But it turned into a monster.

At first, they don’t even notice it.   
  
  
It’s obvious to everyone around them but no one says anything because it’s almost so transparent that it seems intentionally. Because ruining each other’s love interest’s opportunity is something people do with awareness, right? It’s not like they have no idea that they’re clearly messing with each other’s lives like that.   
  
  
Except they honest to God don’t have any idea.   
  
  
It would be sad but it’s Mako Mori and Raleigh Becket and it’s sort of amusing in some ways. Well, at the beginning it’s amusing anyway. Tendo is the first to realize they haven’t a clue and he’s reminded of Sasha and Alexsis, who seemed to have a whole new level of pleasure in ruining each other’s dates with other people. Tendo kind of hopes it gets to a whole new level with Mako and Raleigh. When the rest of them start to see it, they begin to make it into a game without the two of them knowing. They make bets until Herc throws a disapproving comment.  
  
  
The first time it happens, it’s a month after the war. Mako and Raleigh just finished an interview in Australia together and Tendo’s with them. A guy approaches Mako, dashing smile and smooth voice. His eyes are green and he has blond hair.   
  
  
"Honor to meet you, Ms. Mori," his lips curl upward and Raleigh’s eyes narrow. "If you don’t mind, I would love to sit down and have an interview with you too—I work with an online column."  
  
  
"Oh, yeah?" Raleigh cuts in, taking a step forward so he’s just a bit closer to Mako. Her eyes flicker to his face briefly but there’s no discomfort. "What column?"  
  
  
It’s clear Raleigh is suspicious but even more obvious he’s got the Back Off Bud vibe going. Except Mako doesn’t seem to see it and neither does Raleigh when he keeps his gaze on the male in front of them, who blinks in some shock. Raleigh arches a brow and Mako has a polite smile on her face.  
  
  
"It’s called The Thinker, actually," the green eyed male finally says, turning his eyes back to Mako with that smile Raleigh wants to punch off his face (and is a bit shocked by his thoughts until he talks to her again). "Just a one on one. It won’t last long. It would be an honor."  
  
  
Raleigh crosses his arms but doesn’t say anything. Mako nods with a small shrug. “Thank you for the offer but I’m doing interviews with Mr. Becket. We agreed.”  
  
  
They actually didn’t. In which Raleigh has a rather huge smirk on his face when she wraps an arm around his waist and leads them away with a small, polite wave at the ‘journalist’. Tendo follows after them with raised eyebrows, wondering what he just witnessed. Later, in the cab, Raleigh says something about fake journalists and Mako is checking to see if The Thinker exists on her phone. (It doesn’t, to Raleigh’s obvious delight; Tendo wants to make a joke about that smirk but doesn’t, just in case.)  
  
  
The second time, there are many more witnesses. The crew managed to convinced both Raleigh and Mako to go to some club while they are stationed in Washington DC. They’ll be here for some time and they get birthing in nice apartments. Raleigh and Mako live across from each other; they like it. Briefings are long and Raleigh forgets how much he hates paperwork. Going out for drinks sounds good but no one said anything about damn dancing. Mako decides she’ll try it out for once and Raleigh’s eye visibly twitches and Herc asks if he needs some aspirin or something because he’s frowning the entire time.  
  
  
As it turns out, Raleigh ends up on the dance floor anyway. And Mako is left at the bar, tapping her finger on the glass with some drink Stacker used to have (he was vodka lover). Raleigh had excused himself to go to the restroom but he’s been gone since. When her eyes scan the crowd, she spies that blond hair he’s begin to let grow. He’s with one of the agents working with them for the reports and stats. She’s pretty, Mako knows this. Long brunette hair, big brown eyes and long legs. Mako likes her. And apparently Raleigh does too.  
  
  
It’s Herc who sees it, nursing his whiskey drink. And gradually, everyone else sees the daggers Mako’s shooting Raleigh’s way except for Raleigh himself. Herc thinks about how stupid the boy can be sometimes. It’s only been three months but he thinks maybe someone should tell the two to finally get on with it because it’s getting to a point where it’s simply expected.   
  
  
About fifteen minutes of glaring, some guy with a nice smile and dark skin offers his hand with a charming line to her. Mako waits a few moments before agreeing. He’s attractive and she’s got nothing else going for her this evening. Herc watches as the male leads her onto the dancefloor. Herc is happy Pentecost isn’t here to see his baby girl right now because he’d probably go into cardiac arrest with the moves Mako’s got.   
  
  
It’s five minutes before Herc turns back to see Raleigh and Mako dancing together. He’s behind her and she’s keeping his hands on her hips. Herc turns to Tendo who is laughing rather hard at his expression. When he glances around for the abandoned dance partners, the agent is dancing with some other dude and the male is at the bar, drinking away. They only dance for that one song, coming back with some sweat on their brow and secret smiles.  
  
  
Everyone starts to notice now. It’s more obvious on Raleigh’s part, with his glares and crossed arms whenever Mako’s on the phone with a guy who had given their number. On Mako’s part, she usually wrinkles her nose and turns away, as if it doesn’t really matter. Though it’s clear it does.  
  
  
It never seems to occur to them what’s going on. Maybe it’s something about being drift partners, that shared world that also offers a sense of ignorance because, really, it’s just the two of them and there’s no room for anyone else.   
  
  
No one thinks of intervening until Tendo catches Raleigh browsing their database of known criminals. Of course he’d abuse his security clearance by checking on all the guys interested in Mako Mori. He probably has a list written up in his head.   
  
  
"Isn’t that the guy Mako’s going out with tonight?" Tendo makes sure he’s up to date with all the gossip and Mako’s dating life is one of his top five favorite things to keep track of.   
  
  
Raleigh turns around slowly and then back to the screen with a pensive look. “…No.”  
  
  
"Pretty sure it is. Does Mako know you’re doing background checks on her dates?"  
  
  
"No, and she won’t ever know," Raleigh throws a warning glance over his shoulder as he scrolls down the poor dude’s life on the computer. "Hey, do you think a history of bad behavior in elementary school would turn Mako off?"  
  
  
Tendo is amused by the fact that Raleigh forgets he’s had quite a few misdemeanors in his lifetime. “I think Mako thinks her date is hot and fun and if she comes back late tonight, I wouldn’t be sur—”  
  
  
Raleigh’s shutting off the computer and lifting himself from his seat before Tendo can finish the sentence. “Later.” He’s on his phone suddenly and Tendo shakes his head.   
  
  
"Hope that’s not Mako you’re texting."  
  
  
"…No."  
  
  
  
  
—  
  
  
  
  
A few weeks later, Mako’s dating some other guy. It’s actually a shock to everyone because she’s been keeping it a secret (for obvious reasons but it’s like she goes the extra mile to make sure someone in particular doesn’t find out). His name is Brant and he’s respectful—an Air Force officer who had looked up to Stacker Pentecost. He’s a great guy.   
  
  
Raleigh hates him.  
  
  
Mako’s afraid Raleigh’s going to break his fingers when they shake hands. By the look on Brant’s face, he comes close. Mako has to clear her throat for him to let go and everyone marvels how automatic his compliance is. Raleigh has a tight lipped smile on his face, like someone is forcing his lips upward because otherwise he’d be the Grinch.   
  
  
Brant had wanted to stop by the office where Raleigh and Mako are still working. She’s doing analysis and stats and he’s working on the outlines of construction for the west coast. It’s just something to do while they wait for further instruction for the Jaeger program. Brant brought her flowers and a kiss on her cheek and Raleigh had sat at his computer, hands still on the keyboard with a horrified look, as if Mako had been attacked.   
  
  
"So this is the Raleigh Becket the world loves and adores—it’s an honor."  
  
  
Mako closes her eyes briefly because that’s not the best thing to say and she’s not exactly sure why. Raleigh doesn’t aim to be loved and adored; not by the world anyway. He has that smile on his face and Mako squints her eyes a little because she knows he’s making an effort but it looks like he’s in pain trying.  
  
  
"And you must be Mako’s excuse to leave work early."  
  
  
Inwardly, Mako’s groaning. Brant chuckles awkwardly but he’s the only one. Mako shakes her head at Raleigh for him to stop but he’s not paying attention, eyes on Brant.   
  
  
"Yeah…we met in the coffee shop across the street. I’m stationed here for a bit," Brant stumbles over his explanation and it’s clear he’s not sure why there’s an apologetic tone in his voice.  
  
  
Raleigh darts his gaze out the window where the coffee shop could be seen before turning to Mako. “Really?” His smile widens and it’s so sickly fake, Mako wants to wince. His gaze is on the other male. “That’s funny because Mako’s a tea drinker.”  
  
  
Brant seems to squirms under the scrutiny. “Found that out pretty fast, actually—it’s kinda cute.”  
  
  
"Cute," Raleigh echoes in a tone that says  _Really, dude?_    
  
  
When Brant finally leaves, he gives Mako a quick kiss on the lips and he glances Raleigh’s way, which is a mistake because the smile is gone and there’s a rather dark look on his face. Mako closes her eyes and sinks down in her chair.  
  
  
It takes a few minutes of complete silence before they start talking about it. Raleigh’s making snide comments, like how he doesn’t like Brant’s hair and Mako’s saying Raleigh’s isn’t all that great either. He walks funny, you walk funny. He’s not that tall; is he supposed to be tall? He’s from the Air Force though; Stacker started in the Air Force! What kind of name is Brant anyway?; what kind of name is Raleigh? When did you start going to coffee shops?; since you stopped bringing me morning tea.  
  
  
"I don’t like him."  
  
  
” _I do_ ,” Mako says rather loudly and everyone outside the office pauses to stare at them through the glass windows that surround them.   
  
  
Everything stills and Raleigh is staring at her with something akin to shock and a bit of confusion because it’s actually the first time they’ve really gotten into it since Drifting. It feels strange and both their chests tighten with anxiety with a new kind of loss.  
  
  
They used to be able to just know what the other is thinking. And when they said something aloud, it just put emphasis on whatever they thought. But it’s different this time because suddenly they both don’t know what’s really going on. Or they just want to ignore it, subconsciously because addressing it makes it a whole new issue that is rather terrifying to think about. A state of life that they don’t want to climb on to.   
  
  
Mako’s the first to move and she glances away, turning back to her paperwork and scribbling something down with a new veracity. He doesn’t breathe until his eyes are back on the computer screen and his jaw tightens.   
  
  
Life goes on.   
  
  
—  
  
  
Raleigh doesn’t find out until a week later that she had broken up with Brant that night. He suddenly feels guilty for making a big deal about saying anything at all.   
  
  
They both are aware  _something_  is going on but they don’t look into it. But Raleigh doesn’t make snide comments anymore and Mako refuses to look his way when a woman is flirting with him. Because it’s no big deal anymore. It can’t be.   
  
  
—  
  
  
But Mako feels sick when she comes out of her apartment to see Raleigh stumbling into his with a pretty raven haired girl with high heels and a cute giggle. Her lips are on his and he’s fumbling drunkenly with the lock to his door, a hand on her hips and Mako can’t stop staring. She swallows but the feeling doesn’t go away.   
  
  
When his eyes flick to hers and he’s suddenly aware she’s standing there, her bag in her hand and looking so strangely lost, Mako can’t breathe. He freezes completely, blue eyes on her and they hold each other’s gaze for a good few seconds before Mako hastily locks her door and begins down the hallway, eyes on the ground and something in her throat.   
  
  
That night, Raleigh has to bite the inside of his cheek when he almost says her name. He feels gross because it’s like he’s using other women instead of just being honest with himself. But being honest right now is like admitting there’s a huge problem and Raleigh has been really bad at fixing his own issues. He’s just now realizing that Mako might be too.  
  
  
So when Mako is scarce around the office and running around with other agents, discussing stats and reports, Raleigh doesn’t say anything or even attempt to talk to her. Suddenly, there’s a dark cloud whenever the two are in the room and everyone else notices. Raleigh is left in the office, typing up reports and outlines for construction and he suddenly wishes he could be out in the field instead of directing this mess. He’s better at field work anyway (and he thinks that Mako is better at both; he thinks about Mako a lot actually). They don’t say anything and maybe that’s okay. It’s like before when they didn’t have to but then it was because they could read each other’s minds. Now they can’t even read their own.   
  
  
—  
  
  
Raleigh picks up a steady, casual girlfriend and Mako picks up numerous dates. They don’t try to hide it anymore but they don’t shove it in each other’s faces either. Raleigh still does background checks and Mako tries her hardest not to give him a look when he texts the new girl in his life.   
  
  
Her name is Stacey and she’s wonderful and friendly and just what Raleigh needs. Mako looks into the whole compatibility thing and realizes that maybe Stacey is just right for him. Mako doesn’t wonder why it bothers her anymore, she simply ignores it because it’s about ten times better than sorting it out in her head. Stacey is perfect.   
  
  
Stacey is a sandy blonde with a moderate tan and gentle brown eyes. She’s a secretary on the second floor of the building, where they pick up their mail and Raleigh spends most of his time there now. One day, she stops by their office when Mako is writing up a report.  
  
  
"I’ve been wanting to ask you if you’d like to have a double date with Raleigh and me," Stacey says with an inviting smile.   
  
  
Mako has never felt more guilty in her life. She likes Stacey and she’s not sure what’s wrong with her when she feels sick again. All she can think of is how much she’d like to run out of there and find Herc because he’s honestly the closest thing to someone who would probably listen and get it. But she’s a big girl and this isn’t a competition—it’s childish to think otherwise.   
  
  
Before she can answer, however, Raleigh speaks up with a light tone but Mako remembers from the Drift that it’s a cover for something much bigger. “Oh, I doubt Mako would like to, babe,” Mako pretends she doesn’t hear the affectionate term or the dismissal sent her way.  
  
  
"Oh! I’m sorry? I just thought it would be fun. That’s what I get for opening my mouth," Stacey offers an apologetic smile Mako’s way and Mako gives one back. "It’s just Martin and I thought it would be fun."  
  
  
Mako’s heart drops.  _Oh no._  
  
  
"Martin…?" Raleigh sends a questioning glance between the both of them. And when his gaze finally lands on just Mako, he has a rather incredulous look. "Brock Martin? Martin from the financial floor  _Martin_?”  
  
  
He’s actually an all right guy. Not the kind Mako would like to see more than two weeks. A fling. Apparently, Martin didn’t get that vibe. The first thing he said after they slept together was he couldn’t believe he just had sex with the famous Mako Mori. She hasn’t texted him back but it would seem Brock Martin needs to be told in order to get the message she’s not interested any longer. Raleigh and Martin had gotten into it when they first transferred when Martin offered his number on a sticky note on Mako’s folder. She didn’t find out until later.   
  
  
Now Raleigh looks a bit miffed but he’s not saying anything that’s on his mind, she knows. She’s been inside his head and he’s been inside hers. But she wonders if he can tell she’s willing him to just let this shit go. It’s not worth talking over. She can do whatever she wants and Raleigh knows that.   
  
  
"Uh, yeah…" Stacey murmurs, looking a little lost. "Did I say something wrong?"  
  
  
Mako shakes her head but she doesn’t smile. “Don’t worry about it. I have a deadline to meet, so I wouldn’t have been able to go anyway.”  
  
  
Raleigh gives her a small look because he knows she’s lying. Sometimes the Drift could be a blessing and curse and it’s really starting to ruin the bond she’s been cherishing and trying so hard to protect with him. And if he’s doing the same, he’s doing just as a shitty job as she is. Because it’s like they’re willing themselves to finally get sick of each other for no reason they can see.   
  
  
That night, Stacey stays the night in his apartment, flipping through photographs of the past he keeps out. He’s making them tea when she comes into the kitchen with the photos, a picture of him and Mako in an embrace on the top of the stack. Tendo had taken it, he remembers. It was in Australia and he had a little bit too much to drink. Mako too, from his memory. She had whispered in his ear the same words he remembers waking up to after the battle at the Breach.  _Don’t leave me._  It sounded so precious and happy when she had said it that night, with a grin on her face and a slight blush and he remembers thinking he never would.  
  
  
Stacey has a look he doesn’t like on her face, one of slight sympathy and understanding and while it should be great she gets it, Raleigh wishes for once that people could just ignore the damn elephant in the room because it’s getting him nowhere. Stacey breathes out and glances down at the photo, Mako’s arms around his neck and his face buried within her neck. He wants to take it from her and throw it in the closet but he’s the sentimental guy who keeps stuff out and can’t let go.   
  
  
"You two…" Stacey’s lips twitch into a small smile as she takes the picture and places it on the kitchen’s refrigerator, under a magnet, "…have something special."  
  
  
He hates that word. It’s like a cover word for something no one can explain. Raleigh doesn’t say a thing when she gives him a kiss on the cheek and sighs out.   
  
  
"I hope you figure it out," is all she says before she leaves.   
  
  
Raleigh wishes she would have had some bitterness in her tone but it’s genuine good nature she had directed towards him. The tea sits on the counter and he thins his lips, thinking it would be a good opportunity to invite a certain someone to join him. Wouldn’t it be? He could just knock on the door across from his and things could get fixed (what’s broken?).   
  
  
The ex pilot dumps the other cup of tea in the sink and a second later, he’s dumping his out too, opting for the beer in the fridge. He leaves the picture on the fridge, even if he doesn’t look at it.   
  
  
—  
  
  
The next day, he sits back in his seat and isn’t surprised when Mako isn’t there. He sits at the computer and begins typing out the plans. He thinks about transferring because whatever the fuck is bothering the both of them is killing  _him_. But that’s okay, Raleigh’s good at the whole dying thing; he bounces back eventually.   
  
  
He doesn’t tell anyone about his and Stacey’s break up, almost wishing everyone would still think they were together. He’s not entirely sure why. Because he’s not missing her like an ex boyfriend probably should but he’s regretful in a way that he had started it anyway.   
  
  
So they continue the regular routine, something stressing on them. Before, they didn’t  _have_  to talk. Not it’s that they  _can’t_  talk. It’s not that they’ve lost something, honestly, because Raleigh feels it there, between them, but there’s a block and their unwillingness to address it themselves doesn’t make it any better.   
  
  
—  
  
  
One night, he’s filling out a transfer request. It’s to see if he can even go through with it. So far it’s easy and he think about how nice it is in California during winter. But Mako comes through the door, throwing a tablet on her desk and sighing out. He looks up at her, almost guiltily when she recognizes the form on his computer screen. Raleigh swallows and he wonders if Mako will tell him it’s a bad idea or encourage or just say  _something_. She slowly picks the tablet back up and walks back out the door with her purse, heading back to her apartment, he assumes.   
  
  
Raleigh clicks out of the window. Turns out he can’t go through with it.  
  
  
—  
  
  
Tendo stops by more often now, having been stationed with them. Herc is busy being Marshall of the new Jaeger program that involves disaster relief. He visits when he’s sent to DC on business but calls Mako and Raleigh when he can. Tendo tells Mako about an upcoming festival in Tokyo that she should see and she smiles with appreciation. Raleigh, overhearing, knows what festival; he got to go once. When she glances over to him, he’s typing away and she says to Tendo she’d like to go.   
  
  
Tendo throws a nod Raleigh’s way. “You comin’ too, Becket?”  
  
  
Raleigh seems genuinely surprised by the offer. His eyes dart to Mako for half a second. “Uh…no, I don’t think—”  
  
  
"C’mon, you’d rather be here in the States, writing up reports?" Tendo would like to think he’s a master manipulator but he’s humble enough not to say it aloud.   
  
  
So the three of them put in leave for Japan. Tendo’s rather happy about it, though he realizes that the tension between the two has ultimately gotten worse. At least Sasha and Alexsis had something to grow stronger into and that was the Drift. Mako and Raleigh have an open office and the world still watching them. Tendo thinks that maybe a vacation isn’t that great of an idea when it comes to the two pilots.   
  
  
—  
  
  
On the plane ride there, Tendo watches as Raleigh moves out of the way for Mako to sit by the window, like he knows she’d prefer it. And then he gestures for Tendo to sit next to her. Tendo sighs and realizes it’s going to be a long travel. The two of them don’t even look at each other. Tendo tries making jokes but it’s only Raleigh who nods his head.   
  
  
Mako gets a hotel room that’s conjoined with Tendo and Raleigh’s. She leaves the door open though, as if to say it’s okay to come in whenever they need to (keyword: need). Raleigh opts for the bed closer to the door and Tendo doesn’t protest. He watches the two interact (or lack of) and wonders if it had been a mistake to suggest Raleigh come. They don’t say much, Raleigh’s grunts for answers and Mako’s hums are driving Tendo crazy. He thinks about telling them to just get over it but he’s pretty sure they don’t know what ‘it’ is.   
  
  
—  
  
  
The festival is to honor those fallen in the first Japan attack. Mako has a wistful look on her face, eyes on the dancers in the streets and large floats that drift by. There’s something exciting that sparks over her features that’s touched with some pain and nostalgia. Her fingers move to tuck some hair behind her ear and she’s smiling and Raleigh thinks it looks a lot like healing.   
  
  
Sometime during the night, Raleigh and Mako end up side by side, their bodies touching in that closeness that seems so familiar and comforting. Mako notices first. It’s that steady breathing she had missed—because she used to listen for his breathing often since the Breach and she wonders when she stopped keeping an ear out for it. It’s slow, soft and her eyes flutter to a close and it’s all she can hear. Everything else fades and it’s like the world belongs to them again.   
  
  
When she opens her eyes , she finds him staring down at her with  _that_  look. The one he first gave her when she stood on the helicopter pad in the rain and he’s soaked while she stands there under her umbrella. And that look only evolved. It comes in tiny forms of worry and admiration. And now there’s adoration that he showers her with under those icy blue eyes and she wants to tell him pay attention to the the performances but she can’t breathe.   
  
  
Suddenly, he reaches for her hand and she snaps out of everything. The rush of sounds hit her and she can’t hear his steady breathing anymore. Mako snatches her hand away and she sets her jaw, turning her gaze to the crowd, away from him.   
  
  
"Stop," she says in Japanese.   
  
  
He doesn’t miss a beat, questioning her in the same language. “Why?”  
  
  
Mako doesn’t answer him and he feels desperate and stranded in a mess he can’t work his way out of. Maybe that’s the story of his life and Raleigh thinks that’s okay because he’s good at surviving anyway. If he can survive a war of alien monsters out for blood, he can survive Mako Mori but he really doesn’t want to.   
  
  
Raleigh realizes that maybe it’s just him. He knows that there will always be that remnant of something special and beautiful left from the Drift but it’s a whole new level he had stepped on. Not anything more or less than what he had with Yancy but something  _different_. And he wants to Drift with her again because maybe she’d know what he’s thinking and maybe he could realize why she’s distanced herself. He knows he should respect it—and, yeah, he does—but all Raleigh wishes is to stand beside her whenever he can.   
  
  
He has such goddamn bad timing.   
  
  
A few minutes later, Mako excuses herself and Raleigh keeps his gaze forward because he’d rather not watch her go.   
  
  
—  
  
  
He’s at some bar when Tendo texts Raleigh to wait another hour before going to the hotel room. He’s not stupid. He knows what that’s code for and Raleigh can’t ignore the twist in his gut when he sees the message. He can see Tendo’s bit of sympathy for something Raleigh can’t explain and he’s getting really fucking tired of not being able to put into words what’s going on with him. Had he lost his bond with her? Or was something else going on? With him? Was it really just him that was fucking up? He wouldn’t doubt it, actually. It’s usually him who starts making a mess out of honestly nothing.   
  
  
It’s not like he’s totally ignorant. Raleigh can see himself with Mako in the future but he didn’t think it would be stuck in an office, trying his best to ignore who is eyeing her. And he knows she thought the same—at least, the last time they Drifted, she pictured a life with them together, whether it was working side by side or—well,  _together_. And they both wanted it. He remembers the night in Australia, when she had thrown her arms around him and Tendo was going camera crazy. He had wrapped her arms around her waist automatically because that’s how they worked—everything clicked in the world of Mako Mori and Raleigh Becket, no one else invited.   
  
  
It’s a mistake but he imagines someone with her, hands moving over her thighs, lips against her throat as a shuddered breath escapes her lips. He sees her is the throws of ecstasy that he’s never witnessed in person. Her hand is on his chest, murmuring for more and Raleigh would comply right away. She’d trace his scars with that veiled fondness he’s seen in her eyes before. He’ll whisper all the things he loves about her and that’s a damn long list. And—  
  
  
—Raleigh throws a twenty on the bar’s counter and heads out the door, almost angrily because he’s getting really tired of himself and the thoughts running through his head. It’s when he’s scanning the room key at the lock of the hotel door and throwing it open, a realization hits him, as if he unconsciously finally decided he’d be aware.  
  
  
He’s jealous.  
  
  
And he’s such a dumbass for not seeing it before.   
  
  
He stands there, in the middle of the hotel room, room key in his hand and wearing the familiar blue sweater and jeans as he stares at the floor, brow furrowed and a desperate feeling creeping inside him. He feels dry and heavy inside, like there’s nothing left because he knows exactly what the problem is and he can’t do much about it. What is there to do when there’s something wrong with you and nothing wrong with the other?   
  
  
Mako wants to move on without him and he’s keeping her back. And that is one thing he’s been afraid of doing since day one. Maybe she doesn’t want to stick together anymore and that actually really fucking hurts.   
  
  
It occurs to him that he can’t hear anything—nothing from the other room and he quietly closes his, moving across the room to the door that leads to Mako’s. He’s a bit surprised to see it opened and a dim light illuminates inside the room. He drops the room key on the dresser before peeking inside.   
  
  
There, she sits with her hands folded in her lap and staring outside the large window of the hotel. City lights glow and blink in the night and he knows the image means late nights waiting up for Stacker and quietly thinking about the future. Mako’s the kind of woman who only sits straighter as time goes by and that’s exactly what she looks like right now. He stands there in the doorway, torn between disturbing her and letting it go.   
  
  
He doesn’t have to decide because she spies his reflection in the window. Her eyes flicker over the image she sees, the picture of the man she remembers seeing the first day they met. He had been a lost soul of sorts, little purpose but a drive to keep going for some reason. She wonders what his purpose is now because the only anchor must be her.   
  
  
Mako knows he wants to leave, it’s been obvious for awhile now. She just never imagined he would go without telling her. From what she can tell, he hasn’t put through a transfer just yet but it can only be a matter of time before he submits it and she’ll be sitting alone in an office, wondering how she ended up here. And she’s getting tired of wondering in general.   
  
  
When Mako turns slightly to meet his gaze, he looks broken and so beautiful to her. Her eyes sting but she blinks and the feeling is ignored. He’s still growing out his damn hair but, not for the first time, she thinks what it may feel like if she runs her fingers through it.  
  
  
"Choi should have told you—"  
  
  
"He did," Raleigh interjects, uninterested in the detached tone she’s using.  
  
  
Her eyes narrow and she can feel the room grow a little bit more tense. “Then why are you here?”  
  
  
For lack of a better response, “I don’t know.”  
  
  
"You don’t know why you are here?" Mako stands and it’s like a challenge. That’s all that seems to be left these days. A challenge that they’ve never gone through with. It’s not a game but not a battle either. Something in between and it figures Mako’s the first to initiate it. "You don’t know why you came here to Tokyo? You don’t know why you are still working in the States?  _You don’t know_?”  
  
  
Irritation flickers over Raleigh’s face before it turns to some defeat and she wants to scream at him to fight her. “I know why, Mako.”  
  
  
It’s all he says. Mako feels herself grow cold with understanding because in those four words comes the hidden message. The very same message she’s been avoiding for so many reasons. And so suddenly she wants to throw it back in his face because  _she’s_  the one who knows.  _She_  gets to understand things before anyone else. She doesn’t think, she  _knows_.   
  
  
How had they gotten here?  
  
  
They used to be able to read each other’s minds with just one flick of a gaze. It had never been hard like this. There’s a wall and she can feel that crumbling and she wants to hastily build it back up because it’s going to flood her with the realization she doesn’t want at all. But she can see it on his face—there’s no real denial there, not anymore.   
  
  
"Why?"   
  
  
Mako’s not even sure why she’s asking, furthering this stupid conversation. There’s a disconnect and while she yearns for the connection back more than anything, she’s wary of the road to getting retrieving it.   
  
  
Something changes on his features when she asks. Raleigh can feel the desperation well up inside him, that void space being filled and he thinks he’d rather go back to being unwanted and jealous. He takes a step closer and she doesn’t move, doesn’t shake her head but they’re still a couple meters from each other and he thinks that’s a respectable space, a safe distance and Mako’s always liked  _distance_.   
  
  
"You want to know why I’m here?" he questions, nearly rhetorically and the small tick in her jaw in a response enough. His voice sounds hopeless to him, small. "You want to know, Mako?"  
  
  
There’s a fire in her eyes and he knows that look more than anyone else in the world. She advances until she’s standing before him, gaze searing on him and he tenses but stays where he is. “ _Say it, Raleigh_.”  
  
  
It came as a hiss, a demand that dares him to just  _fucking do something_. He has to take in a quick breath because it’s the first time she’s said his name to his face in months and he wants her to repeat it again and again, feel the hum of her voice as he presses his lips to her neck. And he should feel ashamed by his thoughts but he’s not and that could be a problem.   
  
  
Her eyes flicker to his mouth and back to his eyes and some heat pools into his stomach. He really shouldn’t be here at all. A drink of some scotch and driving jealously are not good factors in this situation. Except it’s them and he thinks he’s been blind to a lot more things than what he’s aware of now and he wonders if the same thing is going on with her. But she wants him to tell her why he’s here and Raleigh has words lined up in his mind but they don’t come out.  
  
  
Raleigh doesn’t want to say anything but her name, honestly.   
  
  
And it’s her name that passes his lips right before they’re pressed against hers. There’s the underlying fear that he’ll be pushed away because that’s a pretty bold move for one who doesn’t want to hold her back but Mako’s hand is suddenly at the back of his head, holding him closer. Her other hand goes to the front of his military issued sweater and gathers a bunch of material in her fingers. His right arm automatically goes to her waist and the other hand holds the side of her neck, carefully, gently because he’s afraid she’ll let go and he can’t be too attached.  
  
  
(He’s aware he’s been to attached the moment he met her.)  
  
  
Raleigh touches her like she’ll break and she thinks he should know better but the slight hesitance makes it through her filter as she presses harder into the kiss, pushing into him when he seems scared to continue. She breaks the kiss only to angle her head better to capture his mouth again, murmuring his name and suddenly her back is against the wall and he’s breathing a little harsher than before.   
  
  
A shiver runs through his body and he’s pressing against her as much as he can. Her hips are grinding against his and Raleigh moans with desire. He yearns to hear his name again, murmuring hers again and again against her jaw, to her throat, her shoulder as he slips her sleeve down. He can feel the way her breath stops short as his other hand travels down her side until he can slip under the shirt, touching the cool skin there. Her hand comes to tangle her fingers within his hair as he nips the skin on her neck.   
  
  
It’s been awhile since they Drifted but he remembers the small things she liked then. Her interests, her turn ons and of course she got to see his own. He supposes there’s that factor of never being completely ashamed because it goes both ways. His hand moves under her bra, rolling her nipple between his fingers and she gasps, encouraging him. Constant touches, grinding, small bites, he remembers being a little too happy she didn’t seem thrown by his wants and when he had seen hers, well, he felt like they were little bit more compatible than expected.   
  
  
He goes to kiss her again and it has to be then something dawns upon Mako.   
  
  
Suddenly, she’s withdrawing and staring up at him with a newfound betrayal and she’s not even sure why she should be the one who feels so hurt because it’s not her he’s really hurting. He looks completely lost, like he has no idea what they’re doing is so completely and utterly wrong. She feels sick, just like the other times and she just wants to scream all over again.   
  
  
"You—" she stops herself, frustrated he can’t read her mind like before. There’s still that block and she hates everything. "—Stacey."  
  
  
Raleigh’s not certain why that name makes everything crumble around them. All he can hear is soft spoken Stacey’s words when she had glanced down to the photo of him and Mako, wrapped in their own little world. She had such a sweet smile, like she just got it. Just like everyone else who seems to get them but Mako and Raleigh and he’s getting really fed up with that.   
  
  
 _You two…have something special._  
  
  
Mako’s pushing against him before he can bite out an explanation. Combing her fingers through her hair with hindered rage he recognizes so well. He reaches for her but she slaps his hand away. He swallows before trying to tell her.   
  
  
"We’re not together, Mako, it’s been over fo—"  
  
  
"Stop," she says in her native tongue and it’s spoken so quietly, brokenly that he feels his chest tighten and he can no longer breathe.   
  
  
Mako’s eyes turn to him. Something’s been ruined and she’s not even sure what. She can’t tell if he’s lying or not but a voice says he wouldn’t do that to her—or Stacey. But things are too screwed up for it to happen this way regardless. She hates the fact that she wants to kiss him again, feel his warm body against her. But not right now—her mind buzzes with conflicting emotions and she just  _can’t_. She quietly pleads for him to just leave, let her rest because this is just a little too much right now.   
  
  
In that moment, he nods and turns to go out the door, into his room. She catches the flicker of hurt before his features are stone again, in that way she’s seen so many times before. It means a type of submission, respect, and Mako thinks that maybe not all is lost.  
  
  
But she feels just a little better than she has in a very long time because maybe that slight nod was understanding. And they’ve been needing that mutual understanding for awhile now.   
  
  
—  
  
  
When Tendo comes back half an hour later, Raleigh’s staring at the ceiling with his hands folded over his chest. He pauses to stare at the larger male, brow arched when he notes the door to the other room is actually still open.   
  
  
"You’re back early."  
  
  
Raleigh thins his lips. Tendo takes it as a good sign to stop talking and throws his stuff on the dresser, preparing for bed. Raleigh turns over, facing the door and sighs out a small, “Good night.”  
  
  
Tendo makes a note to look into the theories some psychologists made about drift partners off the field and post war.  
  
  
—  
  
  
On the plane ride back, their seats end up in different places but this time, Raleigh doesn’t make an effort to sit beside them. Tendo ends up in the seat in back of him and Mako’s somewhere near the front. He wonders if they should have gotten first class. What good are the benefits if they can’t use them? But he leans back in his chair and tries to sleep.  
  
  
He really does have bad timing.  
  
  
Bad everything, at this point.  
  
  
When they touch down, Mako’s waiting for them at the baggage area and they quietly get in a cab together. The ride is just as bad as the fly over and when they finally get dropped off at the apartment complex, Tendo is just about to give up on them. But Raleigh gets one of Mako’s bags, giving her a questioning look if it’s all right and she doesn’t oppose and Tendo spies those signs again.  
  
  
She opens the door for Raleigh, letting him come inside and Raleigh realizes that he’s only been in her apartment probably three times in total since they came to DC. Tendo’s retreated to his apartment with a slight look to the both of them that they ignore; they’re getting pretty good at that. When she sighs out and he leaves her bag on the couch, Mako crosses her arms and eyes flick to him with expectancy.  
  
  
He knows that look too. He’s starting to realize that maybe that ‘unspoken bond’ never left, they just didn’t acknowledge it. Somehow that makes him feel better, despite everything.   
  
  
Raleigh moves closer to her, bundled in his large coat. She thinks it makes him look like a giant with some amusement in the midst of everything. Mako wants to tell him to shed it off, maybe they can have some tea but there’s something in his gaze that tells her he already knows. But he just stands there, just a bit of space between them.   
  
  
So Mako raises herself on her toes and kisses his right cheek, her hand landing on his left shoulder lightly before withdrawing and throwing him a ghost of a smile. It seemed appropriate. It’s not an apology but it’s not a ‘you’re off the hook’ thing either. It’s just a small chaste kiss that basically tells him  _It’s okay._  Raleigh doesn’t look surprised but he doesn’t act on it either. And for a moment, she thinks he’s just going to stand there, staring at her with  _that_  look with complete adoration.   
  
  
"Good night, Mr. Becket," she says with some jest.   
  
  
Raleigh’s never been one for formalities. “Night, Mako.”  
  
  
—  
  
  
Herc calls her when she’s coming through the door of the headquarters. Today, they come back from leave. Actually, they don’t have to come back until noontime but Mako needs to prepare and there’s a report on incoming pilots up for testing she needs to review and send in her thoughts. Her mind runs with the work she has to do as she talks to him.  
  
  
"So I heard the festival was pretty great this year. Ya went?"  
  
  
"It was nice," Mako says as she gets out of the elevator, her boots hitting the floor as she goes to find her mailbox. "Becket and Choi went too."  
  
  
"Really? Must have been a riot. Hope it wasn’t something like what happened in Australia…"  
  
  
Mako’s lips twitch at the memory. “—No cameras present, Sir.”  
  
  
She can hear Herc’s deep chuckle before he pauses as someone’s talking to him on the other side. Mako’s eyes scan the different mailboxes before she finds hers, slipping the key inside and turning.   
  
  
"Hey, Mako, I’ll be calling you back, okay? Got some surprise meeting."  
  
  
She remembers those, actually. Mako remembers Stacker’s dull glare when someone called for a meeting and she was left in the rec room with Herc’s dog. She smiles and says goodbye before he hangs up. Sighing out, Mako sifts through her mail, closing the box and locking it carefully. That’s the last time she takes a vacation, even if it’s for five days. There are way too many notices and she feels a bit bad for the trees. She can only imagine her work email…  
  
  
"Mako!" comes a delightful voice behind her.   
  
  
Turning, she spies Stacey, smiling gently and dressed in the usual bright colored dress. Mako smiles but she’s not entirely sure if it’s real or not anymore. “Good morning.”  
  
  
"Heard you and Raleigh went on leave," (for a moment, Mako wants to know how everyone keeps ‘hearing’ things) Stacey has something in her features that’s akin to a suggestion Mako would rather not uncover. There’s no animosity, no bitterness and Mako wonders if she’s starting to get bad at reading people or if Stacey really is fine with everything. Maybe—maybe it’s just Mako who’s not. "Japan, right? How was it?"  
  
  
"Good," is that the only word she knows? Mako smiles a bit wider this time and holds the mail close to her chest.   
  
  
It’s suddenly silent and Mako glances to the elevator, wondering if bolting for it is too terrible of tact. Most likely. Stacey tucks some of her blonde hair behind her ear and says quietly, “I’m glad you two worked it out.”  
  
  
And it suddenly makes sense.   
  
  
Mako raises her gaze to the other woman, who smiles brightly and her chest tightens with something that doesn’t hurt but it doesn’t feel good either. She smiles again this time and it feels a bit more real than the last.   
  
  
Before she steps onto the elevator, she spares one last look Stacey’s way, straightens her back and says, “Thank you.”  
  
  
—  
  
  
Raleigh comes through the office spaces with a bag slung over his shoulder and still brushing the snow out of his hair when he glances up to the office he and Mako share. He’s not entirely surprised by that idiot Martin who seems to intent to catch Mako’s attention. He’s sitting on her desk and Raleigh knows for a fact that bothers her.   
  
  
The first time he had met Martin was when they first transferred over to DC. Mako had been looking into working abroad then, he knew, but she stayed with him and sometimes he feels a bit bad about it. She had been sifting through the finances and Martin is the Go To Guy for anything dealing with the subject. Raleigh and Mako had been setting up their accounts to get paid when he spied Martin put his number on her folder with a wink. Mako disregarded it then but Raleigh glared after she left the room to finish her paper signing. Martin made a rather sexual comment about Mako’s appearance, probably thinking Raleigh would agree. Instead, Raleigh warned him that he had no problem helping Martin see if the government’s healthcare program is sufficient enough. Martin complained about it but Raleigh hardly got a slap on the wrist for the threat.  
  
  
Now Raleigh is narrowing his eyes as he comes through the door, causing both Martin and Mako look up to see him. He doesn’t say a word as he goes to his desk and drops his bag rather unceremoniously on the floor. Their eyes are still on him when he glances back with some mock surprise in his features.   
  
  
"What?"  
  
  
Martin does the dumb thing and tries picking a conversation with him. Or a fight. Either way, it’s not going to work. The dark haired male nods to Raleigh and Mako can already see where this is about to go. “Heard some guys talkin’ about going over to Hong Kong for some engineering. Bet they could really use your…expertise. What is it you do again?”  
  
  
Raleigh blinks and there’s that tight smile that anyone call tell is just a cover. But only Mako knows it’s just a few words away from him throwing a punch.   
  
  
"That right?" Raleigh says, eyes on him. "You hear that while gossiping in the coffee room?"  
  
  
"I’m trying to work," Mako says and the way she says it makes Raleigh think she’s actually repeating herself, especially when she is looking Martin in particular.   
  
  
Raleigh gets up as Martin does, throwing another smile Mako’s way, as if he just doesn’t get the clue. “Hey, after work, we should get some coffee together. There’s this awesome coffee shop across the street that—”  
  
  
"I don’t like coffee," Mako says clearly as she doesn’t look up from her tablet.   
  
  
"Uh, tea? Or something? A movie, maybe—"  
  
  
"She’ll call you," Raleigh says as he advances on Martin, who is backing out of the office, still trying to get her attention. "—If she’s interested."  
  
  
Raleigh doesn’t feel bad when he closes the glass door in the guy’s face. And it seems Mako doesn’t either when her lips tug upward for half a second.   
  
  
—  
  
  
A couple weeks later, Mako is offered a spot in Hong Kong as a tactical analyst with ties to the United Nations. She’d be working internationally with far more opportunities. She wants to do it. The form is on her desk and she sighs out, somewhat torn for reasons that should be obvious. Mako doesn’t want to say it but leaving means leaving  _him_  and she knows it would be like cutting off a lifeline.   
  
  
She had asked him not to leave her. They never agreed on her leaving him.   
  
  
But when he walks through the door, she can tell he’s already heard the news. It’s strange because she knows exactly what he’s thinking right now. She’s been inside his damn head, she knows what he wants by the look on his face.   
  
  
And he wants what she wants.  
  
  
Quietly, Raleigh places a transfer form on her desk and she glances up to him, as if asking him not to do this. Fight her on it. But Raleigh’s only ever wanted to fight Mako once and that was when it was  _for_  her. They both know he wouldn’t fight her, even if she demanded it.   
  
  
He smiles and she wonders if it’s possible to hate someone for their unconditional support.   
  
  
—  
  
  
That night, Raleigh stays up in his bed. He had refused to touch the whiskey in his fridge, knowing better. He’s laid off alcohol for some time now. A doctor warned him his own issues were only going to get worse if he turned into an alcoholic and Raleigh has better things to strive for than being found on the side of the road. There’s still Mako.  
  
  
Raleigh will admit, he had been a little winded on finding out she was offered such a huge position. But it had been a long time coming—Mako is going to go far and if he has to be her number one fan from across the Pacific Ocean, so be it. She’d know where to find him if she had time—or whatever.   
  
  
He’s not going to hold her back.   
  
  
So maybe it’s really fucking selfish that he’s getting up and moving across the hallway to knock on her door, holding his breath as he waits for her to answer it at eleven at night. The door opens a little bit sooner than he would have expected and he lets out a small exhale when she’s standing before him with a bit of astonishment. He can only imagine the wreck he must look like now but the way she’s looking at him makes Raleigh think that it might not be so horrible.  
  
  
It’s a bad idea. He knows it. Because they tried this once and it just crumbled to their feet for more than one reason, which he’s accepted already. But Raleigh’s grasping for straws at this point because there’s honestly not going to be another chance when he’s feeling confident enough to go forward with this.   
  
  
She whispers his name and his resolve just shatters. His lips are on hers and she’s holding either side of his face. It’s the desperate kind of kiss, the kind that clashes teeth for a moment, shaky breaths and eyes shut tight. Raleigh can smell the faint scent of perfume she usually wears and the light touch of her hair against his cheek.   
  
  
Then she’s tugging him inside, a small moan emitting from his throat when she breaks the kiss to do so. He closes the door quickly as her mouth is back on his. Mako shivers when he slides a hand over her breast and she bites his bottom lip, remembering an impression that he liked that. Another moan but this time she’s against the nearest wall as he leaves kisses down her neck and she thinks that it would be a good idea to wear a turtleneck tomorrow. Slowly, she lifts her knee between his legs, grazing his already growing erection, confined within his sweats. He hisses against her skin.   
  
  
Her hands reach the hem of his black t-shirt and he steps back to let her raise it over his head and throw it somewhere behind them. It’s then she stops short and Raleigh’s stomach churns when he thinks this is going to stop and he’s not sure how he’ll face her the next day. But her brown eyes are on his scars and he’s breathing a bit heavier than before.   
  
  
Mako’s never forgotten, honestly. The jagged marks that line his body. Because these are the same scars that she’s gotten to experience in the Drift too. They’re seared into her mind and it’s never quite gone away. She’s felt the burn of the armor, she knows how long they took to heal and she knows he let’s it define a piece of him. Just like she allows her own tragedy define a little bit of her too.   
  
  
Her fingers move to start at the top of his shoulder, tracing the line across to his arm, down his chest, starting again with some sadness in her eyes. There’s a hint of a bitter smile on her lips because she knows the pain he carries with him— _intimately._  He sucks in another breath and she meets his gaze, fingers spread across his chest now.   
  
  
They don’t have to say a word. He just stares down with her with that fondness in his gaze. When she kisses him, it’s slower this time, like assurance.   
  
  
He’s saying her name over and over again and she misses the times when that is the only thing she’d hear in her head. Being in the Drift, it’s all he seemed to think. Her name. And he made her feel like it was the most precious thing in the world. Like now, how he wraps his tongue around the syllables, reverently, passionately and she doesn’t want him to stop.   
  
  
Her shorts have been slipped off by now and she’s tugging at his sweatpants rather impatiently. He groans when she slips her hands under the hem, palming him. His hand goes to her breast and he thumbs her nipple through the thin material of her shirt. She presses even harder and lets out a small whine when his other hand finds the heat between her legs.   
  
  
"Bedroom," she whispers and he lifts her like she’s weightless, acting on the quiet command.  
  
  
He lets her down on the bed, hovering above her and she goes in for another quick kiss before he finally takes off the pants and she sheds her shirt. He catches himself staring for a moment and there’s a moment when his tongue darts out to swipe against his bottom lip before he moves forward, kissing the valley of her breasts until he takes a nipple into his mouth. She’s moaning his name and that only encourages him.   
  
  
His hand is between her legs again and slipping her panties down her legs and she helps. His thumb brushes over her clit and he adores the way she gasps. His fingers are inside her, slow pacing as she keeps his head at her chest, both hands tangled in his hair. And then he’s going a bit faster and she’s telling him not to stop in her native tongue. Her hips begin to move to the rhythm and he lifts his head to peer at her face.   
  
  
Their eyes meet as he continues, her lips part as she breathes. There’s that moment when they both can realize that block has been removed, that they just know what the other is thinking. What the Drift offered has never truly gone away; that level of understanding is there again.   
  
  
When she comes over his fingers, her arms are around his neck, and he’s pressing his forehead against hers, watching through hooded eyes. He’d like to tell her how beautiful she is right now but that would be a lie because, honestly, she’s beautiful all the damn time and he has a feeling she knows anyway. Coming down from her high, Mako brings a hand to his face, brushing her thumb over his cheek.   
  
  
As she guides him inside her, he brings himself closer. She gasps as he pushes inside slowly, carefully. Her arms are still around his neck when she moves her hips and he moans, kissing her quickly before he begins thrusting, an even pace before picking it up. Mako moves with him, letting small moans escape and Raleigh’s louder ones follow.   
  
  
He says things to her in her ear, sweet nothings that she already knew from the Drift but she hums appreciatively. Raleigh has been bright colors and opportunity to her since the day they met and Mako is fierceness, an anchor of reality that comes of the sweet kind. And she thinks it’s such a good combination and maybe that’s why they were so compatible; how they view each other. And somehow, it’s stayed that way, even if it didn’t seem like it.  
  
  
She comes first and he follows soon after, face buried when her neck and her arms around his neck, keeping him close as she whispers, “Don’t leave me.”  
  
  
It’s automatic this time, “I never would.”  
  
  
—  
  
  
They sleep in each other’s arms that night, satisfied and no tension at all. They’re tired but it’s okay because it’s like they’ve finally resolved a little bit of themselves.   
  
  
When they wake up, it’s late and they hurry to get ready together and she laughs when he almost trips getting into his jeans and he pecks her lips with his before running to his apartment for a better shirt.  
  
  
—  
  
  
So they finally noticed, which is something Herc notes when he comes for a visit the next week. He’s dressed in the uniform as he spies Raleigh and Mako exchanging looks in their little office. He’s laughing at something Mako said and she rolls her eyes with good humor. Herc raises and brow and turns to Tendo who looks rather smug.   
  
  
"It was a wreck a few weeks ago, believe it or not."  
  
  
"Heard Mori’s going to Hong Kong," Herc comments almost offhandedly, more like fishing. He had put in the request himself, honestly. The US has never been for Mako anyway. She’s meant for bigger things than just reporting writing. And he knows Raleigh would have to follow in some way; once a soldier, always a soldier and Mako’s the closest thing he has to that life.   
  
  
Tendo nods and gestures to the oblivious couple. “Becket’s goin’ with her, actually. They looked into it and he’s transferring to an engineering unit that would work closely with hers.”  
  
  
Both males share an amused look and go about their business. Herc’s a busy Marshall after all. Two minutes of gossip is enough out of his day. Tendo, on the other hand, feels like he should start a blog or something close for a hobby because this office life is boring without poking fun.   
  
  
—  
  
  
Raleigh still does background checks on the guys who talk to Mako (he knows it’s unhealthy, leave him alone) and Mako still sends some rather dull glares when there’s someone flirting with Raleigh but at least they acknowledge the problem now. It’s more obvious to them than before and at the end of the day, they know who they’ll wake up to.  
  
  
Sometimes they find themselves in the same embrace and they really don’t have to say anything.   
  
  
They like it that way.


End file.
